1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a pencil type knife with a retractable blade and more specifically to such a knife that has means for preventing undesired side-to-side and upward play of the blade during a cutting operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pencil type knives having retractable blades are well-known in the art and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,885,308 and 3,657,812 issued to Gordon and Lee, respectively. The knives that are disclosed in these patents include a barrel or outer member in which is slidably carried a support or inner member connected in an end-to-end relation with a blade assembly for movement of the blade to extended and retracted positions relative to one end of the barrel member. In an extended position, a portion of the blade assembly projects beyond such one end of the barrel member and support for the blade assembly is provided by the barrel member.
In these prior art devices, it has been economically impractical to form the barrel member and the blade assembly with sufficiently precise tolerances to eliminate substantially all of the side-to-side and up-and-down play of the blade assembly in the barrel member, although it is highly desirable from a user's standpoint, that there be substantially no play in the blade assembly.
The knife of the present invention overcomes this deficiency of the prior art devices by including a blade assembly that is formed to eliminate substantially all side-to-side and upward play in the blade assembly during a cutting operation.